Word Origin & History

1814, from craunch (1630s), probably of imitative origin. Related: Crunched; crunching. The noun is 1836, from the verb; the sense of "critical moment" was popularized 1939 by Winston Churchill, who had used it in his 1938 biography of Marlborough.

Example Sentences for crunching

I hope the cracking and crunching of nuts doesn't disturb you much?

There was a crunching of fragile bones, and warm blood ran in his mouth.

At night, even, you can bear them crunching the leaves they have overlooked in the day-time.'

Fell a step upon the patch behind them crunching the gravel.

The ice was lifting and falling and crunching all around them.

A crunching of gravel upon the driveway startled the girl cruelly.

Then there was a crunching crash, and the engineer swore peevishly to himself.

Then, but for the crunching of my horses over the turf some yards away, there was silence.